Secrets the Stars Keep

Chapter Five

Astraeus stepped back from his fireplace to look at the Hyacinth on his mantle. He stared at it for a few seconds before deciding definitively that he liked it there. Looking at it made images of Eirene flash through his mind. He'd never received a gift before and the look she'd given him made every piece of his heart fall apart and reform all at once.

When he finally grabbed his keys and jogged out to his car, something dawned on him. It was Saturday. No school meant no reason to show up at Eirene's house this morning, engine running. He was trying to come up with a good reason when his phone buzzed.

Astraeus glanced down at his device and was pleased to see that Eirene had texted him.

hey, do you maybe wanna hang out today?

Eirene was surprised when Astraeus' car pulled up so quickly after she'd texted him. As soon as he saw her, he flashed her with one of those blinding smiles that made her heart beat wildly against her ribcage. She tried desperately to slow it, but she had already resigned to the notion that she was beginning to like him.

The moment he was close enough to, Astraeus engulfed her into his arms. The hug was too short for either of them to properly enjoy. Eirene tried not to let the disappointment show on her face.

Suddenly, the front door of her house opened, and Caroline cleared her throat behind them. Once Astraeus' eyes settled on Caroline, they immediately hardened into a look that Eirene had never seen him give anyone.

"Who is this? A boyfriend?"

Eirene choked on air as she turned to face her mother.

"No. Absolutely not," She jumped over herself three times vehemently denying her mother's accusation. "as if he'd ever date me." Eirene muttered to herself under her breath before. Her mother's stare intensified and honestly made her a little bit uncomfortable.

"No, mom."

"Good...good," Caroline fixed her gaze onto Astraeus who was staring right back at her, undeterred. "do try and stay away from this one, Eirene, he's not... good company." Astraeus' brows furrowed deeply, and he made a move to retaliate but Eirene beat him to it.

"I'm an adult, mom. I can make my own choices," She pinned Caroline with burning eyes. "and since when have you ever cared about me anyways?" Eirene stalked away from her mother and settled into Astraeus' still running car without ever looking at her. She was surprised when she finally glanced up and noticed Astraeus having a conversation with her mother.

One of the hydrangeas in the garden exploded into sparks and then caught fire. But where Eirene was freaking out internally, Caroline hadn't even flinched.

Astraeus turned away from her and silently made his way to the car with powerful strides. He slid into the driver's seat, pealing out of her driveway and down the street. Without even looking at her, he handed his phone over to Eirene and in a deadly calm voice, asked her to dial Mousaios.

"Meet me at my house in ten minutes."

The voice on the other end was unintelligible.

"Now, Mousaios. I don't have time for games." He ended the call immediately and pressed on the gas so hard that the trees outside of Eirene's window blended seamlessly into greens and browns.

When they finally arrived at his house, she didn't even have time to stop and admire the beautiful structure before he was yanking her inside. He sat her down on his bed and turned the tv on.

"Stay, Eirene. If you get bored of the television, there's a library on the left."

The door shut behind him.

Well, shit.

Eirene watched tv for a little while before she got sick of whatever movie was playing and turned it off. She'd heard Mousaios arrive a little bit ago. He and Astraeus had gone into the room to the right of them and closed the door. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite catch anything through the wall.

She pulled herself off his cloud bed and made her way out into the hall. Immediately, she turned left, and moseyed into the library.

The library was nothing short of stunning. It was a massive room with shelves that stretched so tall there were second floor walkways. The room was circular with five separate hallways that branched off with signs hanging above them.

Eirene, never one for fictional books, debated between the ancient history and non-fiction sections before deciding on non-fiction. She walked softly down the carpeted floors before a particular book caught her eye. The title was particularly surprising for her, ASTRAIOS.

What is this book?

Eirene found herself opening the book before she could stop herself. She flipped to the middle of the first chapter and read the first paragraph that caught her eye.

"Astraios has control over the night sky and can bring about the rebirth of any non-living object through a process called atomic revitalization..." Subconsciously, she sat on the floor and read through the book in her hands. "like all the Gods of Mount Olympus, Astraios has a soulmate on Earth among men. Soulmates to the Gods have Ambrosia in their DNA. Zeus picked two dwellers from the town below Olympus, Nae and Trystan Ste ̶ "

"Eirene!"

Eirene's head snapped up just as Mousaios came bounding into the old library. "Come on, Astraeus wants us all to go out for lunch." He flashed her an unsettling grin. For the first time since knowing him, Eirene could see Mousaios practically sweating through his clothes. She stared at him for a few seconds before abandoning the book she'd been reading open on the floor.

Mousaios waited until she'd left the library before all but slamming the doors closed behind her.

The pair continued through the large home in an uncomfortable silence. So much so that Eirene breathed in silent relief when they finally began to approach Astraeus. Mousaios whispered something into his ear.

Though Eirene couldn't hear what he'd said, whatever it was, Astraeus was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do you think she knows?"

"Indiscernible."

"Hello? I'm right here you two."

The boys stared at her blankly until she grumbled a soft 'whatever' and stomped out of the house. Astraeus jogged to catch up with her and opened the door to his car before she had the chance to.

Eirene, who was determined to remain ambivalent to his gestures, plopped into the car without so much as looking at him. He spoke a few more words to Astraeus before the two vehicles took off away from the chateau.

They sat in silence for about five long minutes.

"What were you guys saying about me?"

Astraeus made no notion that he'd heard her at all, but Eirene knew better.

"No, Astraeus. I know you heard me."

"It's nothing for you to worry about astro ̶ "

"Don't tell me not to worry about it! What can you possibly be so scared I'm going to find out?"

"In due time."

"You can't be serious."

"Don't push me on this, Eirene."

Eirene was surprised when her name fell from his lips instead of one of the many sweet endearments he'd taken to calling her lately. She crossed her arms over her chest and fumed quietly. Finally, after a few longer minutes, she turned in her seat to face him.

"Take me home."

"What?"

"Take me home, Astraeus, or so help me God."

His jaw clenched tightly, and his hand wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel, Eirene feared it might break. His foot pushed further onto the gas pedal until the car's engine sounded more beast than machine. He allowed the car to slow some before yanking the emergency brake and throwing it into a sideways drift.

The car slid to a stop in the middle of the dirt road. Mousaios, who'd been driving behind them, pulled up a few minutes later.

"What the hell Astraeus!"

It was more of a shout than a question really.

"What? I have to care about your feelings, but you can proceed with absolutely no regard for mine?"

"My feelings don't almost get you killed!"

The couple had begun to shout at each other at this point. Mousaios stood quietly off to the side, observing.

"That's bullshit, you know I would never let anything happen to you."

She wasn't sure when she'd known, but it was true. Astraeus always protected her fiercely. Even when she hadn't known she needed protection.

"Why? Why do you care so much?!"

"Because," Astraeus stalked towards her and placed a hand on the side of Eirene's jaw, forcing her to look into his eyes. His eyes which were glowing. Literally. "Because you're my soulmate, Eirene."

She stared at him like he'd surely lost his mind before backing away from him. "Like, 'Oh, let's be together' soulmate? Cause there was no need for all the secrecy, you could've just ̶ "

Astraeus let out a strangled sound that Eirene had never heard from him before. "No, astrofengia. You don't understand."

"Then help me understand, Astraeus."

He stared at her contemplating for a few minutes before walking back towards his car. He opened the door and gestured for Eirene to climb inside.

"Come on."

"Where are you taking me?"

"To see your mother."